New media artist Refik Anadol and the Yawanawá community, indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon, are set to unveil their co-created artwork series Winds of Yawanawá on Thursday, 13 July 2023. The series comprises a data sculpture and a limited Genesis NFT collection of 1000 unique Data Paintings that harness weather data from the tribe’s village in the Amazon rainforest. The data includes wind speed, gusts, direction and temperature and merges with the works of young Yawanawá artists Nawashahu and Mukashahu, resulting in a mesmerising play of traditional shapes and colours. Announced by Refik himself, Winds of Yawanawá is his “most meaningful and purposeful project of the year”, bringing us a step closer to reconciling with symbiotic modes of living on our planet.

The Yawanawá have a rich tradition and long history of artistic expression, mixing patterns, visions, and dreams that convey the strength and beauty of their people. This artwork series is shaped by their cultural heritage and represents their relationship of mutual aid with the rainforest that they foster. The NFT sale opens with the official unveiling at 7:30PM Greece local time on 13 July 2023. Each NFT is composed of a unique video and sound variation derived from the series’ central artwork and comes with an archival museum quality physical print (44x22 inches) signed by Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá and Refik Anadol. The sale will remain open until Sunday, 16 July 2023.

‍Winds of Yawanawá was created as part of Impact One’s Possible Futures collaboration with the Yawanawá, to help plant the seeds for a more integrative approach to sustainability in the future. The Possible Futures initiative was born out of Genesis, the indigenous outreach programme commissioned by Mikolaj Sekutowicz and curated by Jeanne de Kroon as part of Therme Art’s Wellbeing Culture Forum. As part of this, in September 2022 Therme Art and Impact One followed Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá’s invitation to meet in the Yawanawá Sacred Village of Aldeia Sagrada. Since then, the initiative has flourished to become a platform to listen and amplify indigenous voices to co-develop a shared perspective on true value impact, as Possible Futures. The platform was officially launched at the New York Times climate hub at COP27 with a programme co-curated with Nina Gualinga of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku. The talks series discussed what it means to co-create symbiotic futures for the planet, with the present Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil Sonja Guajajara and representatives of the Yawanawá, Xakriabá, Witoto, Terena, Kichwa, Ushigua and Ponca People.

The Yawanawá community is represented in this project by chiefs Biraci Nixiwaka Brasil, Putanny Yawanawa and Isku Kua Biraci Brasil Junior, leaders of the villages of Aldeia Sagrada and Nova Esperança. Proceeds of the sales of the artwork will go directly to Instituto Nixiwaka, the entity representing the Yawanawá communities, to support long-term initiatives for the protection of the Yawanawá territories and cultural heritage. Among other projects, the proceeds generated will be utilised for building sustainable infrastructure in the Aleida Sagrada village and developing an educational programme for Nova Esperança.

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Official Unveiling

To launch the Winds of Yawanawá, Possible Futures is partnering with Scorpios Mykonos to present the artwork as part of their newly launched art platform Encounters. The official unveiling of the artwork series will take place on 13 July 2023, along with the opening of the sale of the NFT data paintings, which runs until 16 July 2023. To launch their historic collaboration, Refik Anadol and the Yawanawá chiefs Nixiwaka and Isku Kua will be in Scorpios Mykonos from 13 to 14 July 2023 as part of Scorpios’ Encounters program. Nixiwaka and Isku Kua will lead prayers and musical performances together with their family Ninunihu and Ykashahu and celebrations will be accompanied by a panel discussion curated by Impact One on the concept and creation behind the collaborative artwork and utilisation of Web3 as an additional driver of global stewardship of natural ecosystems.